InFlex™ Flow Control Valve (FCV™)

U.S. Patents 5,316,081 and 6,273,195

Baski, Inc. made the world's first downhole flow control valve in 1992, which was installed in Highlands Ranch, CO for Centennial Water and Sanitation District. Since then, Baski has manufactured over 200 FCVs, which have been installed mostly in the western US.

For us to determine which FCV™ will be best for your application, please download the FCV worksheet. Fill it out with as much information as you have available, and email it to us.

The InFlex™ Flow Control Valve (FCV™) is a fluid-actuated valve that permits pumping water to the surface or regulating the flow of water from the surface into the well, while using the same column pipe and maintaining a column of water in it at all times. The InFlex™ FCV™ may be used in conjunction with a submersible pump or a vertical turbine pump for Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) and Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) applications. Advantages of the InFlex™ FCV™ include:

Impressive Performance

Testing at the factory and field use of the InFlex™ FCV™ confirm that it effectively adjusts and holds desired injection rates. Because of its unique design features, including no sliding seals to fail, it is the most durable and versatile valve on the market.

Cavitation-Free Design

The key to the successful control of the injection water through this valve is its long, adjustable, annular-gap flow path through a series of circular annular orifices. This flow path provides non-cavitating head loss that is easily controlled by changing the gap between the annular orifices and the rubber element. Stainless steel channels are a part of the adjustable flow system and stabilize the rubber element as it is pushed down and stretched by the inflation liquid.

Impossible to Sand-lock

By design, there is no place for sand to collect; therefore, the InFlex™ FCV™ cannot sand lock. It is impossible for the rubber element to "stick" at any time during pumping or injection, as there are no sliding surfaces to become "stuck" due to sand-locking.

Wear-resistant

The InFlex™ FCV™ is extremely wear-resistant due to its rubber control element, similar to slurry pumps which are rubber lined to reduce wear. Due to its low-velocity, cavitation-free flow, the InFlex™ FCV™ resists sand and silt far better than conventional valve designs. Conventional valves have all of their pressure loss (at high velocities) across only one orifice stage, leading to wear from suspended solids and erosion with cavitation.

Ask about our 5-year limited warranty

The InFlex™ FCV™ utilizes a reinforced rubber element, the only “moving” part. This element is an adaptation of the element that has been successfully used in our inflatable downhole packers in demanding open-hole conditions for over three decades. All metal parts of the valve are constructed of stainless steel. Other more corrosion-resistant alloys are optional for aggressive environments.

Wide Range of Injection Capacities

Our InFlex™ FCV™ offers injection capacities of 10,000 gpm and higher with driving heads of 20 to 3,000 feet. All of the valves are infinitely adjustable from drip-tight shut-off to maximum flow. Furthermore, their maximum flow rate can be limited by using two control lines.

The table below gives some common examples of the applications each size FCV can be used in. However, each installation is unique. To determine which size FCV is best for your application, please fill out our FCV Worksheet and email it to us.

FCV Sizing Examples

Casing Size

Valve OD

Column Pipe

Flow Rate

nominal[inch]

maximum
[inch]

nominal
[inch]

typical
[gpm]

min
- max
[gpm]

8

6-5/8

4 or 5

0 - 400

0
- 1,200

10

8-5/8

6

800

0
- 2,000

12

10-3/4

8

1,400

0 - 3,000

16

12-3/4

10

2,000

0 - 4,000

20

16

12

3,000

0 - 6,000

22

18

14

3,500

0 - 7,000

24

20

16

4,000

0 - 8,000

28

24

18
or 20

5,000

0
- 10,000

Flow
Rate Discussion:
Flow Rate [gpm] = CV × Squareroot(Head [feet])
The flow rate through a given valve is proportional to the square root
of the driving head. The driving head is the sum of the injection
pipeline pressure in feet of water plus the distance down to the
injection water level in the well minus the head loss in the column
pipe. Baski customizes the flow coefficient (CV) range
of each valve
to the intended application (its column pipe size and driving head).
Flow control results from changing this CV between 0
(closed) and the
valve’s maximum (open).

Automatic/Manual Control Panel

Our automatic/manual control panel is designed to allow a single user to adjust the inflation pressure of the FCV either remotely with a PLC or SCADA system, or manually with the incorporated needle valves.

For automatic control, there are two solenoid valves on the panel that can be tied into the user's existing PLC or SCADA system.

On the standard control panel, these solenoid valves are normally closed, 10 watt valves that are operated with two wire leads. The standard coils are 120V AC, but other voltages (such as 24V DC) can be substituted to match the power available on site.

Paired with both solenoid valves are two metering valves with vernier handles. These metering valves can be used in conjunction with the solenoid valves to fine tune the control of the inflation pressures. Essentially, the metering valves determine how much nitrogen gas is passed through for each pulse of the solenoid valve. This allows you to have different rates of inflation and deflation.

For manual operation, large needle valves are positioned in a parallel path to the solenoid valves, which allow the user to control the inflation and deflation right at the panel. Manual control is often convenient during start up and/or diagnostic testing of the operations.

A large 4.5" pressure gauge installed on the panel allows the operator to see read the downhole inflation pressure while making any manual adjustment, or to double check against other digital readouts from the SCADA system.

While Baski does not provide any pressure transmitters or pressure transducers, there are multiple locations on the control panel that are available for the user to install their own transmitters to monitor the various pressures on the panel. Typically, customers will install two different transmitters on the panel. One on the middle manifold block and one on the upper manifold block (see drawing for locations). The transmitter on the middle block would monitor the real time inflation pressure of the FCV. The transmitter on the upper block will monitor the inlet pressure coming from the nitrogen regulator or manifold assembly.

The control is built on a powder-coated steel backpanel which is a standard NEMA size backpanel measuring 27" tall and 17" wide. The panel has mounting holes for installation into an enclosure or on a wall.